Family
by Ealandariel
Summary: (Please read my story "Wurmslayer" first)This is the story of the continuing adventures of the Koada'Dal Cleric, Ealandariel, as she searches for her long-lost sister, and finds some new friends along the way.
1. Part 1

_Disclaimer: EverQuest and all its bits and bobs belong to Sony Online Entertainments. The characters whose tales I tell are either mine, or used with the permission of their creators. Don't sue me!_

Part 1

Laughter ran out among the trees. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, making patterns of light and shade on Eala's face. She observed the green and yellow dapples on her hands for a moment, then, with a giggle, she chased after her sister.

"Come on Eala!" cried Sierradu, "Keep up with me!"

Eala caught up with her, and together they ran through the Faydark, as only elves can, flitting from tree to tree with infinite grace. Deer raised their heads to watch the young elves run by, and occasionally a startled rabbit would dart out from under their feet.  
They ran on, two High Elves, young and carefree, with none of the burdens carried by the elders of their race.

Slowing, the pair came to the edge of the Greater Faydark, and they stopped at the entrance to the passage leading to the Lesser Faydark.

"I wonder what it's like through there." mused Ealandariel.

Sierradu grinned at her mischieviously.

"Why don't we go and find out?"

Eala gaped at her older sister.

"We're not allowed Sierra. If we were found out, we'd get into so much trouble! Besides," she gulped, "It's meant to be dangerous in there. I heard Mama talking about it, she said the Dark Elves were making camps."

"You're not frightened of them, are you?" replied Sierradu.

Flushing, Eala replied, "Of… of course not! It's just…"

Sierra broke in, "It's not like we'd be going far enough to get into trouble, sister. We'd just… look. See what there is to see. We wouldn't go far from the path back, I promise."

Eala glanced again at the entrance to Lesser Faydark. It seemed somehow threatening, the sunlight couldn't penetrate the leaves here – the trees were clustered too closely. The younger elf shivered.

"I don't like it Sierra. If evil races can go there… perhaps Tunare herself has forsaken the place."

Sierra secretly agreed with her younger sister, but there was no way she could back down now without losing face. Besides, she had already started her cleric's training, and knew several spells. Surely she could protect them from anything in there… Thinking this, she squared her shoulders and started marching into the Lesser Faydark.

"If you're too scared to come with me, then I'll go alone!" she called back towards Eala. Her bravado sounded hollow in her own ears, but to Ealandariel, she simply sounded supremely confident. With a sigh and a brief prayer to Tunare to protect them, Eala ran after her sister.

The two young elves huddled together as they wandered the paths of the dark forest. No birds sang here, and the only animals they had seen had been giant wasps and bats. Eala plucked at her sister's sleeve.

"Sis… I don't like this at all, please can we go back? Surely we've come far enough in now."

Sierra was inwardly quaking as well, but she turned and gave her sister a comforting hug, saying;

"It's ok, if you're too scared, we can go. Wait till the others in my class find out that I've been here though! And as for you – why, you might be the youngest from the city to ever have come here Sis!"

Eala considered this for a moment, then smiled. Sierra did have a point… The other young elves would be so impressed when they heard – if they made it back alive, of course. The thought entered Eala's mind unbidden, and she shivered.

"Yeah… of course. Let's just go now though… come on!"

Hand in hand, they turned to go back the way they had come. After they had been walking for maybe ten minutes, Sierra stopped.

"Wh…what is it?" asked Eala nervously.

Sierradu was looking around carefully. With a feeling of mounting horror, she realised that she didn't recognise this place, and had no idea where they were! Resisting the urge to panic, for her sister's sake, she took a deep breath.

"I think we took a wrong turn a couple of minutes ago Eala. We're just going to backtrack till we come to a fork, and go the other way."

Eala's eyes widened in fear, but she just nodded, and followed her sister.

Before long, it became apparent to both of them that they were completely and utterly lost. At some point, they had moved off the path, and now they couldn't find it again. They wandered aimlessly for a minute or two, then Sierradu stopped them both.

"I wonder… I have a spell that points to True North… perhaps if we keep going straight in one direction, we'll get out of the forest, and be able to find our way back."

Eala nodded, and Sierra began to cast her spell. Golden sparks of light swirled around the young cleric, and turned her to face North. Ealandariel grasped her hand again, and they set off, stopping occasionally to recast the spell and make sure they were still going straight. The forest didn't seem to be thinning, but resolutely, they marched on.

The progress of the two young Koada'Dal had not gone unnoticed. The sparkles of light from the spell had attracted attention from more than wasps and bats. As Eala and Sierra walked on, violet and red eyes followed them. Leather clad figures slipped silently from tree to tree, dark feet making no noise on the mossy ground. Swift and as unseen as shadows, the Teir'Dal watched and waited.

Eventually the sisters stopped, exhausted. Eala was nearly crying by this time, and Sierra stamped her foot in frustration. Surely the forest couldn't be _this_ big! Sierra toyed with the idea of hiding her sister, then gating back to Felwithe and getting help. When she suggested this though, Eala really did start crying, and clung so hard to her sister that Sierra abandoned the idea at once.

"All right, all right." She said. "I won't leave you, I promise. Look. Let's just sit and rest for a while, then we'll decide what to do."

Tiredly, the pair sank to the ground. Eala curled up beside Sierra, who sat hugging her knees and pondering the dilemma.

Suddenly there was a slight noise from behind them. Sierra bolted to her feet, pulling Eala up behind her.

"What was that!" squeaked the younger elf.

"I don't know… hush! There it is again!"

That was all the warning they had. With a yell, a dark-clad figure sprang out in front of them, wielding a glowing staff and shouting in a strange language. Eala and Sierra turned to flee, only to find themselves surrounded.

"Dark elves!" gasped Sierradu.

Eala started to cry again. Both the young High Elves knew that they would be shown no mercy. Koada'Dal teachings were full of stories on the brutality and cruelness of their dark cousins. Struggle was futile. Within seconds the pair were bound hand and foot.

The leader of the band of Teir'Dal steppd forward. He tilted Sierradu's chin back, admiring her face. Sierra snapped forward and tried to bite him. With a curse, he yanked his hand back, and then casually backhanded her. Sierra took the blow silently, determined to be strong for her sister's sake.

"This one has spirit!" remarked the leader to his comrades. "In just a few years, she'll make an excellent dancer at the Maiden's Fancy. I'm sure they'll be interested."

"What about the younger one?" asked another of the Dark Elves.

The captain considered Eala for a moment, then grinned.

"We haven't had any proper sport for a time… let's set her loose and see how long she can outrun us for!"

Walking over to the captured pair, he undid Eala's bonds. She stood, staring at him.

"You will run now." He told her, forcing his mouth to spit out the words in the hated Elvish tongue. His accent was thick and nearly unintelligble, but Eala understood.

"I… I won't leave without my sister!" she said, voice quavering.

The captain shrugged.

"You die here, you die later on. Makes no difference. But we want sport first. You WILL run."

"Eala, go!" insisted Sierra. "Run, try and find help!"

The Dark Elves laughed at this.

"Help? There is no help in here. But perhaps this belief will make her run fast! More fun for us." He gave Eala a push that nearly sent her sprawling. "Go, now!"

With one last, agonised look at her sister, Ealandariel took off into the forest. Sierra watched her go, and prayed to Tunare that her sister would survive.

After a few minutes, the Dark Elf captain barked a command, and several of his companions ran off the way that Eala had gone.

"Eala, they're coming! RUN!" cried Sierra, hoping her sister would hear.

"Silence!" snapped the captain, and struck her again. This time the blow sent her spinning towards unconsciousness, and with a final plea to the Great Mother for mercy, Sierradu slipped down into darkness.

Ealandariel ran on, and on. She had heard Sierradu's cry, and knew now that she was being followed.

"Sierra…" she sobbed as she ran. Would she ever see her sister again?

She could hear the sounds of her pursuers now. They were older, fitter and faster than her. The only advantage she had was being used to running in forests. Concentrating hard, she ran as she had never run before.

Bursting into a clearing, she stumbled in exhaustion, and fell flat on her face. Gasping for breath, she pulled herself to her feet and started to stagger on. Just then she heard the "twang" of a bowstring behind her, and an instant later, agony seared through her leg as an arrow embedded itself in her thigh. Falling to the ground, she turned to look behind her, and saw three of the Dark Elves closing in.

In desperation, she cried out to her Goddess for help, then, not expecting any reply, she let her head drop to the ground, waiting quietly for death to take her. Idly, she wondered whether being dead would hurt. Things were getting very bright in the clearing, and Eala mused that perhaps Tunare was going take her to Her own plane before she had a chance to feel any pain. Thunder drummed in the young elf's ears, and the light continued to grow brighter.

The Dark Elves had stopped advancing, and were covering their eyes in pain. Suddenly a bright white creature erupted into the clearing, and with cries of terror, the Teir'Dal turned and fled. As Eala sat up, crying at the pain in her leg, she realised that the thunder had been hoofbeats. Through the mist of her tears, she looked upon Equestrielle, the famous Unicorn servant of Tunare.

Equestrielle came towards her, and then spoke gently:

"You remember this, Ealandariel. You remember this day."

The young elf looked at her in confusion.

"The Great Mother has another task for you. Yet you cannot complete it alone. Your sister survived this ordeal, and even now lives on Antonica. You will need her help in the years to come. The help of your old family. And so you will come to find your new family. Go now, and find her!"

The light grew so bright that Eala couldn't keep her eyes open. Turning her head away, she screwed her eyes shut…

…and years later, and a continent away, she woke up in her bed in Firiona Vie. Gasping, she sat up. Her sheets were soaked in sweat, and, touching her face, she found it wet with tears. She moved to swing her legs out of bed, and cried out as pain shot through her right thigh. Pulling the sheets aside, she found that the old scar had reopened, and was bleeding again. Composing her thoughts, she cast a light healing spell on the wound, and watched as it closed. The ache remained though, and she limped across the room to her dressing table.

Seated on the small stool, she gazed into the mirror. Why had Tunare sent her such an intense dream? And why _that_ day, of all days. Eala's eyes filled with tears again as she thought of the day her sister was taken from her. The Unicorn had taken her back to Felwithe, and though her parents and their friends had searched for weeks, no trace of Sierradu had ever been found. All had given her up as dead or enslaved, and the city of Felwithe had mourned. Gradually, life had returned to normal, though Eala was never quite the same. She too took up the calling of a cleric, determined to honour her sister's memory.

And now it seemed that Sierra was still alive, somewhere. And no matter what, Eala promised herself, she would find her.


	2. Part 2

Part 2 

Eala's mood was still troubled as she got dressed and combed out her hair. Outside the sun was rising on Firiona Vie. A cool breeze was blowing in off the sea, making the curtains at her window dance and tugging at her skirt. She briefly considered breakfast, then decided that she wasn't hungry. Instead the cleric slipped out the inn's back door, and made her way over to the marble temple of Tunare. The other clerics and paladins who resided there regarded her gravely, one or two offering a slight smile, but none attempted to strike up a conversation, a fact for which she was profoundly grateful.

The High Elf allowed the serenity of the temple to envelop her, dispelling the lingering feelings of unease created by her nightmare. Eventually she found herself on the small plateau behind the temple, overlooking the sea. Above her burned the blue flame held by the statue of the Koada Dal princess who had lent her name to the outpost, Firiona Vie herself.

Eala sighed, and let her mind drift as she watched the waves. The breeze blew gently around her, and she closed her eyes as it swept over her face. What to do now? She had to find her sister, but where should she start? Antonica was such a huge continent, there was no way she could search every corner. Even if Aly helped her - and she was not sure that he would - it would be like searching for a grain of salt on a beach. As for Alyindar...

She sighed again, and blinked hard as tears filled her eyes, threatening to fall. The pair had barely spoken since the Wurmslayer incident a week ago. The ranger still could not accept her reasons for aiding the Dark Elves, and while he said he had forgiven her, the strain on their relationship was still palpable. Any conversation was stilted and unnatural, carefully avoiding the issue.

"Peaceful, isn't it?"

Ealandariel spun round, surprised. Another High Elf female stood beside her. The stranger smiled at Eala, then turned back to the ocean.

"I used to come out here quite a lot. The sea... it helps me think."

Eala nodded, but said nothing. The woman turned towards her again.

"I understand. You'd prefer to be alone."

She began to leave, then paused for a moment.

"You can't hide from it, Ealandariel. Sooner or later, it has to be confronted. And only when you accept that you are one of the Mother's Chosen, will you truly find peace. The ocean can only help you so far."

Startled, Eala turned to follow the woman, to ask her what she meant. To the cleric's astonishment, though, the other Elf had vanished completely. Eala stared at the spot where she had last seen the other woman, and then jumped as she felt a hand on her shoulder.

It was Alyindar.

"I thought I'd find you here." he said softly.

"Aly! Did you see... I mean, a woman, she was here... but now she's gone... I don't..."

Alyindar frowned.

"It sounds like you've seen Elliana the Peaceful. A tall High Elf, blonde like yourself, who talks about the tranquility of the sea?"

Ealandariel nodded her reply.

"Yes, I've heard she sometimes appears to those who are in need of guidance."

"I see. Well, she could have said something a little more helpful then."

Aly chuckled, then quietened again.

"I came to tell you... I had a dream last night. And I believe it's telling me where to go next."

Eala smiled at him. So far he seemed more like the old Alyindar she knew.

"You too? I got my instructions as well last night."

The ranger nodded.

"I was planning on leaving for Kelethin this afternoon, assuming we catch the boat."

Eala blinked.

"Kel... Kelethin?"

Alyindar looked at her in consternation.

"Yes, Kelethin. Why, what's the matter... oh."

His voice trailed off as he took in the look on Eala's face.

"You're not coming, are you? Your instructions are for somewhere else?"

Tears brimming in her eyes, the High Elf nodded again. Pulling Alyindar to her, she hugged him tightly, struggling with her sobs.

"This isn't how I wanted this to end." she cried.

"I know," he replied. "But we have to trust that Tunare knows what She is doing. I'm sure we'll meet again Eala."

Just then a shout came from the outpost.

"The good ship _Maiden's Voyage_ will soon be departing our docks, bound for Faydwer! Make your way aboard now or you risk being left behind!"

Eala pushed the ranger away from her, towards the docks, while wiping her eyes on her sleeve.

"Go." she said. "Or you'll miss the boat."

Alyindar kissed her cheek gently.

"Good luck on your quest Eala. May Tunare be with you."

"And with you." she replied softly.

Ealandariel stood and watched as the ship set sail, taking her companion back to Faydwer. She sat by the sea for the rest of the day, with only her thoughts for company. As the sun set, bathing the area in hues of orange and gold, the same question resounded in her mind.

What do I do now?

The sun had set on Firiona Vie, and also on Ealandariel's partnership with Alyindar. The phrase "All good things must come to an end" came to mind, yet that did not bring any comfort to the High Elf cleric. As torches were lit around the outpost, Eala wandered slowly back towards the inn, lost in her thoughts.

It had been months since she had last had to travel alone. While she was capable of defending herself, somehow the road always seemed shorter with a companion, goals seemed more attainable. She had no idea where to even begin to look for her sister, but she supposed getting to Antonica would be a good start. The journey would be long - taking the boat to Faydwer and then onto Freeport, but at least that would give her plenty of time to decide where to begin her search in earnest. After supper, Eala decided, she would pack her things, and leave first thing in the morning.

Back at the inn, the dining room was busy, yet not too crowded. Eala ordered a meal for herself, then settled in a corner to contemplate her next actions. A group of people at a table next her seemed to be having a disagreement of some kind, which she couldn't help but overhear.

"It just can't be done Flexen! We need a cleric, and that's that!"

This remark, louder than most, caught Eala's attention. Not wanting to be distracted from her quest, she lowered her head, hoping to avoid notice. The speaker, a Barbarian male, from his looks and speech, continued;

"Yes, I know I can heal. But it's going to be tough down there, I'll have me hands full."

One of his companions, a wood elf thumped the table in frustration. At first, Eala thought him to be a ranger, then she saw his plate armour, and realised that he was in fact a warrior. She nearly giggled at the thought.

"Look, Cuch, all you have to do is get us down there. Once we get her out, she can heal for us on the way back out. Better yet, take Darck with us and he can port us out. It wouldn't be that hard!" the Fier'Dal protested.

"No. I'm sorry Flex, but no." The Barbarian - "Cuch?" Eala wondered - regarded the warrior with sympathy in his eyes, but his expression said clearly he would not change his mind.

With a stifled curse, Flexen turned to another of his companions, a female High Elf. 

"Tass, could we get down to the bottom under one of your invisibility spells?"

The robed Koada'Dal shook her head.

"No, there's a mixture of living and undead creatures down there. I can only shield us against one type at a time, not both. Sorry Flex."

"Cuch" leaned forward.

"Look, Flexen, I know you want to get her out of there as soon as possible. But we'll just have to be patient, and wait for Senodara or someone to come back. There's just no other way."

The warrior cursed again, stood up, and started to stalk away. In his fury, however, he didn't notice the patch of grease on the floor where some stew had been spilled. With a cry of surprise, he slipped and cracked his head on the side of a table as he fell.

Eala reacted without stopping to think. Even as blood oozed from the blow, and Flexen put his hand to his head in pain, she began to cast a spell calling on celestial healing. Soft blue light gathered around her hands, and above the warrior's head, then slowly faded. Gradually, the wound closed and Flexen sat up, gingerly touching his head as an expression of surprise crossed his face.  
Turning, he faced Ealandariel.

"You cast that?" he asked.

Eala nodded.

"So you're a cleric, then."

It was a statement, not a question, but Eala nodded again.

Flexen came and sat at her table. He was quickly joined by his companions, asking if he was alright.

"I'm fine." he said absently, "Thanks to...?"

"Ealandariel." said the cleric softly. "But most call me Eala."

"Eala. Right. Thank you Eala, for your help."

"It was my pleasure."

Flexen looked meaningfully at Tassa and "Cuch".

"What do you think guys?"

They both shrugged.

"Might as well ask, I suppose." replied Tassa.

Eala was watching them, her heart sinking as she realised what would happen next.

"Eala," Flexen began, "We have a proposition for you..."

"Firstly," Flexen began, "Allow me to introduce myself and companions. This lady here is Tassa, an enchantress. She's a High Elf... most of the time."

Tassa gave Eala a friendly smile.

"My bearded friend there is Cuculainn, a shaman of the Tribunal. He comes from Halas, as you may have guessed. And I'm Flexen, warrior of Keleth-"

"That's Onya, Flexen Onya. He likes his drinks shaken, not stirred." interrupted Tassa, with a mischievous smirk on her face.

Flexen mock-glared at her, and as he turned away, Tassa winked at Eala. The cleric smiled in return. These people were... odd, but pleasant nonetheless.

Cuculainn spoke up at that point.

"We're members of a guild called _Silent Avengers_." He told Eala. "And we need your help to rescue one of our other guildmates - Flexen's wife."

"Why, what's happened to her?" asked Eala, curious.

"We were in the old ruins of the city of Guk, on Antonica." said Flexen. "We had heard that there was a frenzied ghoul lurking in Old Guk Bottom who was guarding an item that I could use. So my wife and I headed down that way, confident the two of us could handle it. We were proven to be wrong, and she was captured by the frogloks who still reside there. I managed to get out, and came straight here to find my guildmates and get help."

"That's where we come in." interjected Tassa.

"Aye," agreed Cuch, "But as you may have heard, I don't think it's safe to even try and get down there again without a good group of people - including a cleric."

"I see." Eala pondered this. While her main objective was her search for Sierra, at least heading to Antonica with these people would be a step in the right direction. And maybe... maybe after this was over, one of them might help her in her search. It was worth a try.

Flexen, Tassa and Cuculainn were regarding her anxiously.

"Alright," she said, smiling. "I'll help you."

"Woot!" exclaimed the other three.

"Eala, thank you so much!" said Flexen. "You don't know how much this means to me. And Sierra will thank you herself when we rescue her, she'll be so grateful. I'm sure the two of you will get on really well, in fact, you look quite like her..."

Eala lost track of what Flexen was saying as the name he had given his wife sank into her mind. The dining room faded away as her head spun, and it seemed like the voices directed at her were coming from very far away.

_He had said "Sierra". How could it not be her? On Antonica, her old family, and her new family-to-be? She already felt the connection with these people, the resonance the name "Silent Avengers" had within her soul... it all fit so neatly..._

"Ealandariel? Are you alright? Eala!"

She opened her eyes, and looked into Cuculainn's face. Behind him, Flexen and Tassa stared at her, concern etched on their features.

_They probably think I'm crazy now_ Eala thought. _Best that I don't mention Sierra yet. In case it's not her... but surely it will be..._

Cuch gave her a hand to her feet.

"I'm fine." she assured the others, managing a weak smile. "I'm just tired, I think. A lot has happened over the past few months, I think it just caught up with me."

"Are you sure?" asked Tassa, looking worried. "I'd hate for you to end up getting hurt from trying to do too much, and we could always try and find another cleric..."

"No, no, I promise, I'm alright." protested Eala. "I just need a good night's sleep - you weren't planning on leaving tonight, were you?"

"We hope to catch the first boat after sunrise tomorrow." Flexen replied.

"Well then," the cleric smiled again, trying to convince them that everything was normal. "I'll see you all in the morning. Trust me, I'll be fine."

Ignoring the continued looks of concern thrown her way, Eala bid the three Silent Avengers good night, and retired to her room. As she climbed the stairs, her head was still spinning from the shock. It had to be her... it just had to be. Curling up on her bed, Eala tried to clear her mind enough to sleep. Only time would tell what tomorrow would bring...


	3. Part 3

_Searing heat. Dry air. Dry skin. Thirst, always the thirst. One foot in front of the other... by Tunare, the heat!_

Stumbling slightly, Eala shook her head to clear it and followed her companions. The air around shimmered with heatwaves, arid desert stretching for miles on all sides. Far ahead the cleric could see mountains, beyond the edge of this Blast Zone in the Dreadlands. On the other side of those mountains, there apparently existed a lush green valley, and this was the group's destination. There they would meet a druid at the teleportation rings who would take them to the Southern Desert of Ro. From there it would be a short journey to the ruins of the city of Guk... and then...

Well, what would happen? Eala wondered. She hoped to find her sister there. Surely it was the same person... Flexen had even said they looked alike. Try as she might, she couldn't stop herself speculating on what might be. At least it kept her mind off the heat.

Ahead of her ran her companions: Flexen, the wood-elven warrior (not ranger, she reminded her self again), Tassa the High Elf enchantress, and Cuculainn, Shaman of the Tribunal. Tassa had shrouded them in a cloak of invisibility, so the monsters who inhabited the Dreadlands were oblivious to the party as they ran on.

Suddenly Eala spotted a dot in the sky, getting closer. As it neared, she realised a second, slightly larger dot was behind the first. Flexen had seen them too, he skidded to a halt, pointing out the strange things to Cuch and Tassa. For some reason the Fier' Dal was muttering something about "an impatient old wolf". She didn't understand, but the other two apparently did, they just laughed though, and said nothing.

The dots were now recognisable as a wolf running through the air, followed by a female High Elf. Eala's stomach churned at the thought - she had never liked heights, and levitations spells terrified her! The wolf and elf halted above the party as the four dropped their invisibility spell. There was a brief shimmer, and then a dark man stood where the wolf had been.

"Darck!" cried Cuch, "I thought we were meeting you at the rings?"

The druid replied that he had gotten bored waiting for them, and so decided to track their position and fetch them himself. Eala listened with half an ear as she studied this soft-spoken Half Elf. So this was Darck... the leader of the Silent Avengers. Well, he seemed quieter than the others she had met so far, but perhaps that was a good thing. There didn't seem to be very much "Silent" about Tassa, Cuch and Flexen.

Ealandariel smiled as Flexen introduced her to Darck, before turning to the High Elf floating beside him.

"Nienor, what on earth are you doing out here?" he asked.

The woman smiled.

"I needed a teleport, and Darck was free." she replied. "I'm going to help Siffe kill the Ancient Cyclops. I think Darck may be helping as well."

Darck nodded.

"We're not accomplishing much standing around here though," he remarked. "Shall we be on our way?"

Eala took a deep breath as Darck began to cast his teleporation spell. Ports were better than flying, but only just... Mystical lights flew round her, creating a portal. With a gut-wrenching jerk, the group disappeared from the Dreadlands...

...and reappeared seconds later in the Desert of Ro. Swapping one desert for another, thought Eala, a touch moodily. A creature of the forests, she was not exactly at home in these dry environments.

Another woman was sitting at the druid rings, evidently awaiting their arrival. She was introduced to Eala as Siffe, a warrior from Halas. Yet another Silent Avenger, she seemed a nice person, Eala quite looked forward to getting to know her more. The original four party members thanked Darck for his help, and wished him, Nienor and Siffe good luck with finding the Ancient Cyclops. Before the three departed, Nienor cast a spell, and Eala felt her mind expand beyond the bounds of space and time. Her mana pool must have been greatly increased, and she wondered what the spell was. Such thoughts had to be shelved for another occasion, as with a final equipment check, they set off for the entrance to Innothule Swamp.

The air inside the swamp was humid, flies swarmed over the stagnant pools of water. No sunlight penetrated the thickly grown trees, and fungus grew in abundance. Shuddering slightly, Ealandariel followed Flexen through the swamp, avoiding the brackish water as much as possible.

After about an hour of walking, Flexen stopped, and pointed to a dark opening ahead.

"That's the entrance to Upper Guk." he murmured to her. "Take a look at the guards and see whether they tolerate you or not. They should do, and it will make things easier if we don't have to make ourselves invisible to get to the Old Ruins. We'll need all our mana once we get there."

Eala peered over the top of a log at the guards. They regarded her apprehensively, but said nothing. Lowering her head again, she reported her finding to the group, and they all nodded in satisfaction.

"Right," said Cuch, "Let's go."

They were nearly at the doorway to Guk, when they heard a muffled scream, which rapidly became louder. Suddenly a young High Elf barrelled out of the entranceway, straight into Cuculainn, who staggered and nearly fell. Blood oozed from a cut on her forehead, and another on her arm, and her robes were tattered slightly.

"Am I OK... are they following, can you see them!" The young Elf sounded slightly panicked.

Flexen looked into the entrance.

"It seems that you are lucky, young one." he said. "They're not following."

The Elf breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank goodness! I thought perhaps I could kill the frogs in there, I was always told that wizards couldn't solo at my level of experience, and I wanted to prove them wrong... I don't think it worked."

Eala tried not to laugh. She didn't know who this wizard was, but she couldn't help but like her. The four introduced themselves to her.

"I'm Lalamilea, Wizardress of Eternal Honor." she told them in return.

"Eternal Honor? They're our allies!" exclaimed Tassa.

As Eala healed Lalamilea's wounds, Cuch explained to her about the alliance Silent Avengers had forged with Eternal Honor.

Lalamilea flexed her arm experimentally as Eala finished her spell.

"Wow, thanks Ealandariel! That feels so much better!"

"It was my pleasure." smiled the cleric.

Flexen hovered by the Guk entrance impatiently. After bidding Lalamilea to be more careful, and wishing her well, the rest of the party moved up to him.

"All set?"

Three heads nodded.

"Then let's go."


	4. Part 4

Inside was dark and damp, the walls covered in mould and mildew. Eala shuddered as she felt something slimy slide past her leg. There were occasionally planks of wood across the murky pools of water, but very often they had to wade or swim. Flexen led the party on unerringly, followed closely by Tassa, then Ealandariel, with Cuculainn brining up the rear. The frogloks watched the four pass without comment, bulbous eyes glowing yellow in the eerie half-light.

Reaching a passage where the walls were etched with strange markings, Flexen halted. The warrior peered around the corner, and then withdrew his head slowly. Turning to the others, he grimaced.

"There are three guards." He murmured. "We shouldn't have too many problems though, unless some of the ghouls are drawn to us by the sounds of fighting, and decide to join in."

"I don't understand," whispered Eala, "Why do we have to kill these ones? The live Frogloks haven't threatened us in any way!"

Cuculainn answered her.

"They won't let anyone pass, Eala." He told her, "They're very fierce about guarding the boundaries between the living and dead side of the city. Even if we were to try and get by peacefully, they would attack us."

Eala nodded reluctantly, and Tassa smiled at her sympathetically.

"I know how you feel," murmured the enchantress, "But you know that if there were any other way…"

The cleric smiled wanly back at her, then focused her mind and began to cast a spell to fortify the resolve of the party. Once that was done, she quickly called on Tunare to provide armour of pure faith for herself and her companions, channelling her spell through her gauntlets, thus avoiding draining her mana pool. Cuch and Tassa were also casting beneficial spells on the party, and in mere minutes everyone was battle ready. Flexen made one last check, then, with a yell, rounded the corner and plunged into the melee.

The frogloks gave croaks of surprise as the wood-elf descended on them, in full battle fury. Flexen concentrated his attacks on the nearest beast, but that didn't stop the other two from trying to overwhelm him. Even as they moved to aid their slimy companion though, they felt a warm mist entering their minds, soothing, convincing them that everything was fine, just fine…

"Those two are mesmerised!" cried Tassa. "Don't hit them, or it'll break!"

Cuch was leaping about like a madman, casting spells to slow the frogloks, and inflicting diseases on the one Flexen was fighting. There was a howl as the shaman summoned a companion spirit in the form of a wolf, and soon its mouth was stained green with froglok blood.

Eala herself hung back slightly, watching the battle, keeping careful note of who was injured, and how severe those injuries were. As the first froglok was dispatched, she cast a spell of celestial healing on Flexen – he was not badly hurt, but that would keep him battle-ready for the next encounter. The second froglok offered no more resistance than the first, and at that point, the third decided that discretion was the better part of valour, and turned to flee. If he got away… what mayhem would ensue as the ghouls were alerted to their presence? With a cry, Eala called upon the judgement of the gods to slay the creature, and with a surprised croak, the froglok collapsed, unable to withstand that divine reckoning.

"Everyone ok?" asked Flexen.

A chorus of yes's answered him. He smiled, grimly.

"Then we press on."

The next encounters passed in a blur of blades and magic. Some other adventurers were already in the ancient city, slaying the evil undead frogs – some for profit, and some as part of a quest. These people had kept the passageways relatively clear, so the battles were not as numerous as they might have been. Until they got closer to the cells where Flexen said Sierradu was being held, that is. Suddenly there were ghouls everywhere, and the party was constantly under attack. Eala soon gave up trying to keep Flexen fully healed, and simply tried to keep him on his feet. Cuculainn was still skipping about, stabbing with his spear, and commanding his companion spirit to aid Flexen. Tassa remained calm, mesmerising and decreasing the foes magic resistance as she could. At last they seemed to reach a lull in the battle, all the nearby Frogloks dead.

Gasping for breath, the party halted briefly in a side corridor. Eala took advantage of the stop to quickly cast a group-healing spell, and the other three straightened as the worst of their wounds vanished. Flexen checked around the corner, then returned to the group.

"We're close," he said, " things shouldn't be as tough as they were just then. We get through any way we can, the cells aren't that far. Once get Sierra, we high-tail it to the exit, understood?"

Three heads nodded in response, Eala thinking to herself wearily that it was a good thing that the way ahead wouldn't be as difficult as what they had just been through. She was an experienced cleric to a certain extent, but the other three had seen far more battles than she, and she was feeling the strain of trying to keep up with their experience. If not for the spell that Nienor had cast on her before they arrived here, the cleric was sure that her mana pool would have been completely drained.

The four companions took off again, speeding through the dark tunnels towards the cells. The corridors were deserted, apart from a few odd, wandering ghouls, whom the party dispatched without many problems.

Rounding another corner, Flexen skidded to a halt, the others piling up behind him in their haste.

"That's it!" he whispered fiercely. "Down there, she's down there!"

Eala gasped. They had found the cells… but how many of the undead creatures guarded them? This would be… difficult.

"Erm… any bright ideas as to how we're going to tackle this, Flex?" Cuch said, in a slightly strangled voice.

Flexen looked at him, a cold light burning in his eyes.

"We kill them. We kill them all."

Cuch grimaced.

"Right. Thanks for clearing that up for me, mate."

Without waiting for another word, Flexen ran towards the frogloks with a wild yell.

"Sierra! We're here! Hang on, we'll save you!"

A figure appeared at one of the bars, a slim, pale woman with dark blonde hair. Eala was too far away to make out anything more, and fairly soon, she didn't have the time to think about her either.

The battle raged on fiercely, worse than anything before. There were too many ghouls for Tassa to keep them all mesmerised, so the party was taking much more damage. Gasping as she realised just how injured Flexen was, Eala cried out to Tunare to completely heal the Fier'Dal warrior. She felt the divine energy flow through her, but it was taking so long… And then she heard Tassa's scream.

Twisting her head round, she saw that some of the ghouls had shaken off their enchantment and were advancing on the enchantress. Tassa's thin robe was no protection against steel weapons – she needed help, but Eala was stuck casting the spell to heal Flexen…

"CUCH!" she screamed, desperately hoping beyond hope that he would hear her over the sounds of the fighting.

The Barbarian's head whipped round at her cry, and he followed her gaze to where Tassa was under attack. Cursing, he stabbed the Froglok who was attacking him, then, wrenching his spear free, he began to cast a spell, calling on the Tribunal to heal the stricken enchantress. Eala breathed a sigh of relief as Tassa's wounds vanished, and the ghouls attacking her charged at Cuculainn instead. With their attention diverted, Tassa was able to re-mesmerise them, and calamity was averted, at least for the moment.

The cleric's healing spell hit Flexen, who was nearly on his knees by that point from his wounds, blood pouring from several cuts. His opponents cried out in fear as suddenly the warrior was completely healed before their eyes. Laughing, Flexen resumed his the fight, and the ghouls fell before his fury. The tide of the combat turned the way of the party, and soon only a handful of ghouls remained. Breathing a sigh of relief – it seemed as though they were going to win, Eala concentrated on regenerating some of her mana, only throwing in heals as they were needed.

As Eala manoeuvred around the battle, she found herself right by the cell bars. For the first time, she got a proper look at the woman in the cell. For a moment her vision blurred in shock. She had been a child when Ealandariel last saw her, but it was undoubtably her sister…

"Sierradu!" she gasped.

The other Koada'Dal looked at her, and her face blanched.

"Eal… Ealandariel? Eala!"

Eala simply nodded, tears filling her eyes, her throat constricting so she couldn't speak.

Just then Flexen gave a cry of pain and surprise, and the cleric spun round in panic. All unseen, a ghoul wizard had entered the fray, and had summoned arcane magicks to attack the warrior. Pure magical energy ripped along Flexen's skin, forcing him to his knees. Eala wasted no time; channelling the energy of Tunare into a healing spell, she cast it on Flexen, who got to his feet and made towards the wizard as he was bathed in divine light.

However, the wizard no longer was concentrating on the furious Fier'Dal. Shrieking what sounded like a curse, in some unknown tongue, the ghoulish sorcerer focused his hatred on Ealandariel. Suddenly huge shards of ice appeared from nowhere, and slashed towards the cleric.

Even with the armour of faith Tunare had provided, Eala could not stand up to the power of that attack. She screamed in pain as the ice bolts sliced her skin, and then fell to her knees as something thudded into her chest. Looking down, she saw an icy spear protruding from just above her heart.

_Why doesn't it hurt?_ She wondered. She felt warm… and tired, very very tired. _So sleepy, just have to rest a little…_ As her cheek met the slimy floor, she vaguely heard, in the distance, someone crying "Sis, nooooo!" But it didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered. Light surrounded her and she saw the face of her Goddess. With a sigh, Ealandariel slid into oblivion.


	5. Part 5

For a moment, it seemed as though time had stopped in Lower Guk. Sierradu, Flexen, Cuculainn and Tassa stood frozen, staring in shock and disbelief as Ealandariel fell. Blue light pulsed around Eala's body as both Sierra and Cuch desperately tried to heal the High Elf. But it was to no avail. Eala lay where she had fallen, lying oh so horribly still.

As realisation sunk in ,the party turned upon the remaining ghoulish frogloks with yells of fury. The undead monsters fell swiftly before their wrath, and soon now a single one was left standing.

Stooping, Flexen retrieved the key for to Sierradu's cell from one of the fallen guards. As he unlocked the door, Sierra flew into his arms, and he held her closely, murmuring softly to her as she cried.

Cuch had knelt by Eala's body, and was turning her onto her back. The ice from the spell was melting, but a thick shard still protuded from the fallen cleric's heart. Blood stained the floor, her clothes... so much blood! Eala's lips were blue, and she was so cold to touch... The shaman realised then that there really was no hope. Gently, he closed Ealandariel's blue eyes. Standing up, he put his arm around Tassa, who was sobbing softly.

Sierra pulled away from Flexen and went to kneel by her sister, taking Eala in her arms. Tenderly smoothing stray tendrils of hair from Eala's face, Sierra felt her eyes fill with tears again. This wasn't right! How could fate be so cruel... to reunite her with her sister, only to have Eala snatched away once more? As she thought about it more, Sierra felt a strange energy begin to flow through her. Her thoughts were interrupted though, as suddenly Flexen pulled her to her feet.

"We've got to get out of here now Sierra!" he said, anxiety clouding his features.

"The ghouls are starting to come back," put in Cuch, "If we don't go now, we'll have a hard time getting out at all."

"But... Eala! We can't leave her here!" protested Sierradu.

"I'll carry her." said Cuculainn, and promptly suited action to word, bending over and picking Eala up.

"Quickly, they're coming!" cried Tassa, as she peered around the corner.

The party took off through the ruins of Old Guk. From behind them came the angry cries of the undead creatures. Flexen led the way again, shouting to all the other adventurers nearby about the train of monsters on their heels. The group turned a corner, and sprinted towards the passageway to Upper Guk. Thankfully, the living Frogloks had not replaced their guards yet, so they passed into Upper Guk without a fight. Indeed, the frogloks who saw them noted the ghoulish blood on their clothes, and gave approving nods.

The undead frogs halted at the boundary with Upper Guk. Even in their rage, they would not risk a foray into the living Frogloks' city.

Slowing down, the 4 Silent Avengers walked through Upper Guk towards the exit to Innothule Swamp. Stopping in a hall beside the exit, Flexen said;

"We wait here. Darck will come and meet us."

Cuculainn gently set Ealandariel's body down, thn went to sit beside Tassa, his face unreadable. Tassa's face was white and drawn, she seemed to be having difficulty stopping her tears. Sierra sat down by her sister's body, cradling it like a child. Flexen came and sat beside her. As he put his arms around her, Sierra quietly began to cry again, leaning on her husband for support.

With nothing else to do, the four sat back and waited.

_The flowers were so beautiful... the trees seemed to sing... the air was so pure, so clean..._

Eala breathed in deeply. She walked through a forest that was much like the Faydark she remembered from her childhood. The cleric had never felt so at peace.

She could not really remember much about what had come before this; Why she was here, what had brought her to this place... Strangely though, this didn't worry her. Who could worry about anything when the world around them was this perfect?

Wandering through the forest, Eala often stopped to pet the deer and rabbits who lived in the serene environment. The sunlight took on a greenish hue as it passed through the leaves of the trees, and made patterns of light and shade on the ground. From somewhere nearby, Eala could hear the splashing of water, a cool, clean sound that drew her towards it as though she were a butterfly drawn to nectar.

As she pushed aside a swathe of ferns, Ealandariel came upon a deep forest pool, fed by a waterfall at one end. With a sigh of delight, Eala settled herself on the edge of the pool, allowing her bare feet to dangle in the clear water. The pool was cold, yet not unpleasantly so, and Eala lay back on the soft grass, feeling complete.

"I did not expect to see you here so soon, my daughter."

With a start, Eala jerked upright. Sitting on the other side of the pool from her, was her Goddess. Tunare, the Great Mother herself. Standing hurriedly, the High Elf curtsied low to Tunare, bowing her head in reverence.

The Goddess laughed.

"Sit, my child. Be comfortable while we talk."

As the cleric sat again, Tunare gestured to the scene around her.

"So, daughter, do you like my realm?"

"It is beautiful Mother... more than beautiful! I feel so at peace here, so complete..."

Tunare smiled.

"Of course you do, Ealandariel. This is the final resting place for all of my children. It is your home after life."

Eala stared at the Great Mother.

"Then, Mother... I really am dead?"

The golden aura around the Goddess dimmed for a moment, as Tunare frowned.

"Yes, you are my child. And that was not part of my plan, I assure you. Yet even I can only interfere so far without an avatar, the other Gods would not allow me to..."

Her voice broke off, and Her eyes took on a slightly glassy look, as though she was gazing at something far away.

"I had not even considered... of the same blood... it may yet work..."

Eala was looking at Tunare nervously.

"Mother... I... I do not understand. I am sorry. What may yet work?"

Tunare's gaze seemed to look right through the Koada'Dal cleric.

"It is not your time to die, Ealandariel. And while I know you would wish to remain here, I still have much left for you to accomplish in Norrath. You must go back."

Ealandariel gasped.

"But... but how! Mother, please, I wish to stay here... I-"

Tunare cut her off with a raised hand.

"I know, my daughter. But it is too soon. I promise you, when the time comes for you to leave Norrath, when you truly feel that you have nothing left to give... then, I will come for you. And you will stay here for the rest of the Ages."

As Eala bowed her head in aquiescence, Tunare's eyes again took on that far-seeing look. She began to murmur words under her breath, in a tongue Eala could not understand. Suddenly the world began to dissolve around the cleric, and she felt herself being pulled away from Tunare's realm. She struggled for a moment, but her efforts were futile. Resolutely, she was drawn backwards... but to where?

Sierradu cried out in astonishment as her hands began to glow. When she tried to pull them away from Eala's body, she found that they would not come free! The others had started awake at her cry, and now stood staring as the light from her hands spread to envelop her sister entirely.

"Sierra.. what... what are you doing!" asked Flexen.

"I don't know!" she gasped, "I was just thinking of how much I wanted her back... praying to Tunare, saying I'd give anything to have her back! And now I feel such power... it's incredible! It... it feels like my skin might burst there's so much of it... oh!"

The light grew so bright that everyone bar Sierradu had long since covered their eyes and turned away. She herself could only shut her eyes, she felt apart from her body, somehow she was pulling on something, willing it to come back to her...

Just as suddenly as it had appeared, the light vanished. Sierra pulled her hands away from Eala's body as if she had been given an electric shock. The ice shard, the hole in Eala's chest, the blood... it was all gone. The four looked on in sheer amazement as Ealandariel stirred. She took a deep, rasping breath and started to cough, weakly. Sierra reacted quickly, turning her sister onto her side to aid her breathing.

When the coughing fit stopped, Sierra gathered Eala in her arms, hugging her tightly. Tears of joy spilled from her eyes as she felt her sister put her own arms around Sierra in return. Tassa, Cuch and Flexen crowded round the sisters, all exclaiming at the top of their voices that it was a miracle, it had to be a miracle, what on earth else could explain what had happened...!

"Seems like that talent runs in the family" murmured Eala tiredly. "Nice to know I haven't lost my mind after all."

"Oh Sis," whispered Sierradu, "I'm so glad to see you again. I thought I'd lost you..."

"You did," replied Eala, "but just like always, you found me again too."

Staggering slightly, Ealandariel got to her feet, supported by Cuculainn. And it was at that point that Darck appeared in Upper Guk, murmuring apologies for being slightly late, hugging Sierradu and saying it was wonderful to see her alive again. Of course, he had to be told the whole story of what had just happened, and his eyes looked about ready to fall out of his head as he heard that Ealandariel had died and been brought back to life.

"Well Ealandariel," Darck said to her, "It seems that you were willing to lay down your life for some of my guild members. I thank you for that. In return... I'd like to offer you something."

He pressed something small and metallic into Eala's hand. She held it up, smiling. A Silent Avengers guild tag. Looking around at Sierradu, Flexen, Cuculainn, Tassa and Darck, she realised that she had not felt so at home in a very long time.

"I'd be honoured to accept your invitation." she replied softly, fastening the tag to her sleeve.

Laughing, Sierradu hugged her sister tightly.

"Welcome to the family, Sis!" she whispered in Eala's ear.

_Finally I've found a home, thought Eala. Finally, I've found my Family._

FIN


End file.
